


Journey through Wonderland

by dumbassunderthemountain



Category: North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell, North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell | UK TV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Alice in Wonderland Fusion, F/M, Pre-Movie: Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:28:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26172718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dumbassunderthemountain/pseuds/dumbassunderthemountain
Summary: John falls into Wonderland and meets Amelia Paddington a woman who fell into Wonderland as a child, together they must avoid the Queen of Hearts as they attempt to find a way for John to return to Milton
Relationships: John Thornton (North and South)/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 1





	1. Arrival in Wonderland

**Author's Note:**

> So this takes place a few years after the whole jabberwocky attack/Horovendoush day and around the general time Alice shows up but she’s not in the fic at all. Also a reminder that RA literally plays the dad of the red and white queens, also england did not switch to metric until 1965
> 
> Chapter Summary: This is apparently going to be a series. Serious and stern John Thornton stumbles into Wonderland (Tim Burton can fight me that’s what its fucking called okay)
> 
> Warnings: twisted ankle/minor injuries from a fall, mentioned mass death via jabberwocky attack

John walked through the parks of Milton attempting to clear his head. Between the work in the mill and nearly the whole of Milton nagging him about his marital status he just needed to get away from it all. He thought maybe seeing Milton from above, removed from all the hustle and bustle of the streets below would be just what he needed. He did not pay attention to where he walked allowing his feet to guide him as he looked out over his city. 

Suddenly he tripped on the root of a large oak tree, painfully turning his ankle and sending him flying towards the tree. As he fell it seemed to his eyes that the small crack in the base of the tree grew and grew until it was large enough for him to fall through. And fall he did. The inside of the tree seemed to go on forever. Then somehow it turned into a steep slope leading far underground. His balance had long been lost to the tree root in Milton park so he tumbled down the slope bouncing off walls and roots as he went. The slope seemed to go on forever in John’s mind. Just when he was beginning to believe he would fall for all eternity he landed hard on flat ground the wind knocked from his lungs. 

John groaned rolling into a sitting position. He was still inside the oak tree. Looking up at the slope he had fallen down he noted that it looked impossible to climb back up, it was far too steep. Across from the slope was another opening in the tree. John wondered how he could even possibly be in the same tree as before, maybe when he fell he hit his head and this was all just a dream. Slowly he crawled towards the opening, it was too small for him to walk through. It was actually too small for him to crawl through on his hands and knees. He would have to lay down and slide out of the tree. As he did so he realized his shoulders were too wide to fit so he turned on his side putting his arms outside of the tree first and using them to pull the rest of his body out as he pushed with his feet. The moment his feet left the tree the crack shrank to be nearly invisible. How was he to get home now? He wondered. 

As he thought he finally looked around at his surroundings. He was in a deep forest filled with old moss covered trees and impossibly large mushrooms. He truly must be dreaming he thought. This whole place was purely impossible. Impossible or not John needed to find his way back to Milton. Either he would eventually wake up or he would have to walk. As John was not a man to take chances he decided walking would be the safest option. When he stood the ankle that had caught on the root in Milton pained him. It was sure to be twisted. From this higher viewpoint he could just barely make out a path close by. He struggled over a large root of a tree protruding out of the ground then a group of colorful mushrooms so large that some reached his hip! John was amazed by the forest. It was the strangest place he had ever been or imagined. His imagination was usually rather limited to Milton, the mill, and his family, never had he dreamed of something so strange since he was a young boy. 

Now that John had made it to the path he looked around unsure of which direction to go, the forest was far too thick to see more than a hundred feet in either direction, on top of that the path turned around sharp corners in both directions. John had no way of knowing what direction would take him closer to Milton. One direction seemed to allow in slightly more sunlight in the distance. John decided that that must be the end of this strange enchanted forest and went on his way. The more he walked the pain in his ankle began to lessen. In the distance he heard strange noises of what he believed to be animals, yet they did not sound like any he had ever heard. 

After walking for sometime he came to a fork in the road with a great many signs and arrows posted to a large tree. The signs however were utter nonsense, saying things such as ‘this way’ and ‘up’ yet the sign was an arrow pointing towards the ground. Whoever posted such signs was a troublesome trickster in John’s mind. As he inspected more and more of the signs he noticed that two of them almost made sense. To the right was the Mad Hatter, a thing John very much wished to avoid, to the left Tulgey Wood. While John very much wished to be out of this dark forest he wanted to avoid anyone labelled a mad hatter even more. He had met mad hatters in the past, men who were driven mad by the mercury in their hats, John would not purposely meet with one again. 

As he walked toward the wood the forest grew even darker, the mushrooms were beginning to disappear replaced by thick undergrowth. John decided maybe a Mad Hatter would be a better option. People did not tend to live too far from towns so it would be a better place to start perhaps than this dark wood. When he turned around however he noticed a creature coming towards him. It looked to be roughly the size of a dog, it’s head lowered to the ground moving back and forth. The creature was sweeping? With its face? How unusual. It did not seem to want to cause any harm to John so he went to step around the creature. The path back had disappeared. The creature was sweeping away the path! John would have no choice but to walk towards the wood. 

The woods were slowly becoming slightly less dense giving John some hope. His ankle had begun to ache again. He had walked too far on it. The sweeping creature was still following behind him erasing the path. He could not stop for fear that he would become completely lost in these thick woods if the creature swept away the path. The noises of the animals were growing louder, the silence of the dense forest growing less chilling now that there were sounds of life. The flutter of bird wings was heard beside him. He turned to see his own face reflected in that of the bird’s. He was startled by this sight and the mirror bird squawking at him. He jumped backwards and around the sharp corner he had been approaching. As he jumped he collided with something that made a high pitched noise of surprise as he knocked both it and him to the ground. 

He scrambled up from the ground as quickly as possible unsure of what he hit. That’s when he realized it was a woman. She had already begun to recollect the strawberries that had filled her basket. “I am terribly sorry. I do not know these woods and was frightened by a bird. I do apologize, if I have injured you.” John frantically apologized, kneeling down to the ground to help her put the strawberries back in the basket. 

She finally looked up at him. He was now more torn than ever in his thoughts of whether he was dreaming or not. He did not believe he was imaginative enough to dream up a face such as hers, framed by long wavy light copper colored hair that fell loosely down her back but was tied away from her round face by a thin pink ribbon. Her dress was composed of a plain white blouse and a simple pink and green plaid skirt. She stared at him seemingly waiting for him to say something. 

“I am again terribly sorry. I did not catch what you said?” He apologized again. 

“Are you lost?” She asked. 

“Yes I do believe that I am. I was going to turn around but that creature swept away the path.” He went to gesture to the creature behind him before realizing that it was now removing the path in front of him. John sighed, “And now he’s removing the path ahead.” 

She looked after the creature. “Yes the sweeper dogs can cause a great deal of trouble for travelers. Where are you heading?”

“Milton. That is where I came from. I will sound mad as I say this but I fell down a tree and arrived in this forest.”

She looked at him quizzically. “There is a rather common expression in these parts, ‘we’re all mad here’” She giggled. “You do not sound mad to me. Not the first time it's happened. Apparently there is a whole other world filled with terribly boring things. Not too long ago a child came through. Said she fell down a rabbit hole. Plus it happened to me as a child I think… I doubt I would willingly dream of a place as grey and bland as Wondon. Although I have not heard of this Milton place.”

“Do you mean London?”

“I do not know. I have been here since I was three. Occasionally it will appear in dreams but other than that I have no memory of anywhere but here.” She finished standing, John did as well favoring his ankle. “Are you injured?” 

John looked down at his ankle, just now noticing the terrible state his clothes were in, torn and covered in dirt but this woman did not seem to mind. “When I fell I believed I twisted it. I am sure it will be fine the sooner I get to a town then back to Milton the better.”

She stared at him for a few moments chewing slightly on the inside of her cheek clearly thinking of something. “I do not believe that would be wise. The closest town, there are too many guards, the Queen can be… It is best if I take you to my father first. He used to be the royal physician.” Then starts to walk away pausing to make sure he is following her. 

They walk in silence for a few minutes before John realizes he has yet to introduce himself. “I do believe I forgot to introduce myself. I’m John Thornton.” 

“Amelia,” She said with a curt nod in his direction. How strange that she did not give a surname. “Pleasure to meet you. We are not terribly far.” She stated as she passed the fork in the road with the many nonsensical signs.

“Who put up those useless signs?” John asked, once again irritated by how unhelpful they were.

Amelia looked at him confused. “Whatever do you mean?” 

“The signs at the fork in the path. The only two that made any sense were the ones for the wood and the Mad Hatter. Did he make the signs?”

She laughed. “The hatter make a sign? Ha! No. I don’t believe he has done anything but sit down for tea for a great many years. And those signs have been on that tree far longer than he has been mad… John here there is one rule, well more like two but for now one” She stopped turning to look at him smiling. “Everything here is nonsense.” Then continued walking. What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean John thought, and why did she say it like a good thing?

Suddenly Amelia turned and began walking into the woods. “This way.”

“Do you not live on the road?” John asked as he chased after her ducking around tree branches and giant mushrooms. 

“This is a short cut...but yes. It is safer not to live on the road.”

“I thought your father was a royal physician. Why not live in the town?”

She opened her mouth a few times before closing it and looking at the ground as she walked. “That was under a different Queen.”

The rest of the walk through the woods to Amelia’s home had a much more solemn tone. John could tell that he had hit a nerve but what nerve exactly he did not know. Yes, to have to leave such a grand position would be a sad day but her tone and words concerning safety said there was far more to the story than that. After many more minutes of walking they came across a large pond filled with lily pads and sunlight. Amelia led John around the pond to a small cottage on the opposite side. In front there was a small garden filled with vegetables. Beside the house stood a large apple tree and beside it a very bored looking chocolate brown horse. 

Amelia led him through the door gesturing towards the table and a bench in the center of the room for him to sit. “Father! I have brought you a patient!”

John heard commotion from the floor above as someone clearly rushed down the stairs. John turned to see a giant frog wearing trousers and a waistcoat carrying a bag running down the stairs on two legs. John’s mouth fell agape. He realized how rude he must have seemed, he was just so surprised by a giant frog wearing clothes to do anything else. The frog also stopped and stared at him, large eyes full of surprise, as if he had seen a ghost. 

Amelia broke the silence. “John, this is my father Doctor Paddington. Father, this is John Thornton. I ran into him in the woods while I was picking strawberries. He was rather lost and spoke of finding the nearest town. But based on my memory I thought it may be wiser if he avoided the town.” 

Doctor Paddington, Amelia’s father, the giant frog wearing clothes (John’s head was spinning) nodded his head slowly walking down the stairs. “Yes, my dear, I do believe you are right. I am sorry Mr. Thornton I do not mean to be rude. It is only that you look almost exactly like the late king did when he was young.”

“King William IV? I have never been told that before. I must apologize as well… I am afraid I have never met a… uh, I truly do not mean to be rude but a frog that could talk before.” John stuttered. 

“Maybe you have just never listened. You do seem oh so serious.” Amelia spit defensively. 

Doctor Paddington waved off Amelia, “Pay her no mind. She just gets a bit defensive of the family at times. I was the first ‘talking frog’ she ever met as well. And no. I have never heard of that king I was speaking of, King Oleron, did you fall here from another land as Amelia had?”

“I-Yes I believe I did.” 

“Well sit down and I shall have a look at your ankle. It is not safe for you to go into the nearest town. Too many of the Queens guards. She will have your head for looking too much like her father.” 

John gulped at the thought of losing his head because he looked similar to a dead king. This entire day had thus far seemed so ridiculous and impossible. “I need to return to Milton. Do you know how?” John asked, without really thinking. If Doctor Paddington knew how surely he would have sent Amelia home. 

“I do not...You could try speaking to the White Queen. There is a chance she could help. But it would be only a chance and the journey possibly brimming with danger. The White Queen has been far away in exile since her sister so violently took the crown.” As Doctor Paddington spoke a great sadness filled his eyes. So he was right in thinking there was more to Amelia and her father’s story than just a ‘different queen’. 

“I must take the journey. I have too much to leave behind in Milton.”

Doctor Paddington nodded, “Very well then. I will help with what I can for your journey. I am afraid I can not go with you. My body has grown far too old for such expeditions. I suggest you do not leave until morning though. The woods can be treacherous for travellers at night and it is growing rather late. Amelia, will you prepare a room for him?” Once Amelia left the room Doctor Paddington turned back towards John. “I wish for you to take her with you. You will need help navigating our land and she has many good friends here who I’m sure would be willing to help you… I will speak to her as well, I wish for her to return to her homeland if possible. It is just not safe for her here now.”

“I will.” John agreed. “If I may ask, what is her story. She does not seem to remember how she came to be in this land?”

“No she does not. And I do not believe she remembers any of yours. It will be so hard on her… but I fear she is in too much danger to stay and I am growing old. If she could make it back and find her other family I would be most happy… She arrived as a very young child, barely three years old. She became lost in a park and fell down a hole. No one walks to our land, everyone falls. I found her near a pond I frequented. Just a scared little child clinging to a stuffed toy frog. She thought I was her frog's father,” Doctor Paddington laughed, John could tell he was filled with love for the girl. “She was so alone and she seemed to take to me because of the toy so I took her home. My wife and I did not have any tadpoles of our own yet at the time so we raised her as our own. She was thrilled when she gained nearly ten brothers and sisters. They were all as close as if they were related by blood. It was wonderful.” John did not know that frogs could cry but it was clear Doctor Paddington was holding back tears. “I will not go into the details for the rest but a few years back the Red Queen took control. She lit the entire village on fire with her jabberwocky. Amelia and I had been travelling for her birthday so we were not in the village that day. It was only when we arrived home that we discovered every member of our village, including our family, had died that day except for one, the Mad Hatter.”

John sat at the table turning the story over in his head. It was indeed a tragic one. It was no wonder Doctor Paddington was so desperate for his daughter to leave and be far from the queen responsible for killing the rest of his family. John could not even begin to imagine the pain that must be within them both. If he lost his mother and Fanny he did not know what he would do. “I am… beyond sorry for you and Amelia’s loss, Doctor Paddington. I will do all I can to help her get back to our world and away from that queen with me.” It was selfish to think but at this point John knew for a fact he was not dreaming. He knew the limits of his imagination and all of this was far beyond it. All of this was real. 

\--TO BE CONTINUED--


	2. Tea Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thornton and Amelia leave on their journey stopping to meet a few interesting characters that may be willing to help them in their journey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just made up a prominent lord/family for John but I set them from Nottingham and living in London cause why not..

“No! I will not go! I utterly refuse, Father!” John was awoken by the sharp yell of Amelia’s voice downstairs. For a moment John forgot where he was. His dreams had been of the grey Milton, when he heard Amelia downstairs though the strange previous day came flooding back into his mind. He quickly dressed then crept down the stairs, wishing to be ready to leave but not wanting to interrupt the family argument. The argument had calmed to talking instead of yelling by the time John had reached the stairs. He could hear the strange low voice of Doctor Paddington speaking to his daughter, ‘what a strange yet loving family’ John thought. 

Doctor Paddington sighed, “Very well Amelia, I would indeed be lying if I said I would not miss you...however I do believe this is the safest choice for you. But it should be your own. Only go if you truly wish it and know you have my blessing and love with you. I wrote you a letter. Do not open it until it is time to make your choice of whether or not to leave this land. I will speak to Mr. Thornton again this morning. Make sure he is prepared and to ensure he understands it is your choice whether to leave or not.”

John did not know what to do. He didn’t want to be caught eavesdropping but he was already on the stairwell just behind the wall. After a few seconds of delay John began slowly walking down the stairs hoping that was enough of a delay. 

“Oh, good Mr. Thornton! I was just on my way to get you. I do hope you slept well.” Doctor Paddington exclaimed upon seeing John. 

“Yes, I thank you greatly for your hospitality. Good morning Amelia.” She barely acknowledged him, just giving a curt nod and a fake smile. 

“You’ll have to excuse her. She does not like the idea of leaving me. She worries greatly.” Doctor Paddington apologized. 

“I understand...I’ll not force her to come back to my world with me. It is only if she wants to.”

“Good, good. I was going to ask that of you...May I also ask one more thing of you?”

“Anything to return the help you have given me.”  
“Should my daughter choose to return to your world with you, will you help her find the family she was born into? She was such a lovely child. I am sure they miss her fiercely. I know I will.” Doctor Paddington stared at Amelia as he said this, as if trying to burn her into his memory.

“Of course, I would be honored to. Though I would not know where to start. I believe she may be from London based on her words yesterday, but London is such a large city…”

“I don’t believe she remembers it anymore but when she first arrived she told us she was ‘Lady Amelia Sweeney of… oh what was it again…something with a N...?”

“Nottingham?”

“Why yes! How did you know?”

“I was just a boy at the time but the missing daughter of such a prominent lord shook the whole of England. It had never happened before, nor has it happened since. If that is truly her family I believe they will be easy to find, however proving she is their missing daughter could prove difficult.”

Doctor Paddington nodded his head. “I have an idea. I will go grab her frog toy, she still has it. She would never part with that thing so her parents should recognize it yes?”

“That would give us a chance.” John said but Doctor Paddington had already run up the stairs to fetch the toy frog. The rest of the morning went rather smoothly but with few words. John was rushing to get back to Milton yet could not bring himself to rush Amelia out the door. This could be the last time she would ever see the man, or rather frog, who raised her. In the beginning when Amelia had introduced a frog as her father John nearly scoffed but after spending the night with them it was plain to see in the way they talked and the love they held for each other. John still hoped that a talking frog for a father would be the strangest thing he would see in this place. How wrong he was. 

\--

“Are you sure we could not have taken the horse?” John called after Amelia. His ankle was still bothering him and his city legs were not cut out for darting around in a forest. 

“The horse is Father’s. I could not take it from him. We will make a stop soon so that you may rest your ankle and so we may both enlist some help getting to the White Queen.”

John only grumbled in response. He was quite tired of this place. He missed the smoky skies of Milton and the smell of cotton. He could admit this place was beautiful in it’s own incredibly strange way, but he had enough of it. Lost in his own thoughts he almost did not realize when they passed the fork in the road headed in the direction of the Mad Hatter. John stopped and stared at Amelia as she trotted down the path. “Mad Hatter? Are you sure?” He called after her. 

She stopped and turned around with a slightly confused expression on her face. “Of course. He has been a dear friend of mine since we were children and I’m sure would be willing to help us get to the White Queen, he is no fan of the Red Queen. Plus his tea is excellent! We’ll have a cup while you rest your ankle.” Without waiting for him Amelia continued down the path. ‘Of course she’s childhood friends with the Mad Hatter, her father’s a frog, a very respectable frog mind you but still a frog, all logic seems out the window with that woman’ John thought. Oh how he missed his logical life in Milton.

“We’re here!” Amelia chirped pushing open a small wooden gate. John was not entirely sure what he had been expecting but this certainly wasn’t it. Before his eyes there was a large table with nearly the entire surface filled with tea pots and tea cups, many of them broken and around the table a great number of mismatched chairs. Sitting at the table was a very strange looking man with a large top hat, who must be the hatter, and the other was...a talking brown rabbit in a blue coat? Then John realized that he really should not be surprised by a talking rabbit at this point. The moment the pair saw them the rabbit hurled a tea cup with all his might at them.

Amelia graceful reached out and caught the tea cup with a smile, “Well, good day to you too! May I introduce, Mr. Thornton. He is from that boring grey world I supposedly come from, has even been to London.” The mad pair seated at the table's interests peaked at her words on London, the man with an unsettlingly large smile was lightly clapping his hands together as if in excitement. 

The mad man then stood walking across the table paying little mind to the tea and china placed there and leapt down in front of John. He somehow managed to smile even wider as he bowed taking off his hat and releasing his wild hair. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, I’m the Hatter, the Mad Hatter.”

“Yes, I guessed as much,” John mumbled under his breath. The Hatter must have heard him as he let out a rather strange sounding giggle before guiding John to a seat next to the rabbit and across from Amelia before taking his seat again at the head of the table. 

“Please do have a cup of tea!” The rabbit suddenly screamed, jumping up and handing a steaming cup of tea to him. 

“This is the March Hare,” Amelia informed John. So hare not rabbit, John thought to himself. He had yet to say anything through this whole encounter. He knew it was rather rude but he did not know what to say besides a quiet thank you for the tea. Amelia and the group seemed to be chatting away as old friends enjoying their tea together. Although rather mad friends John had to admit. It was all such a strange sight. To see Amelia so alive and laughing in such a setting instead of the helpful yet aloof he received from her or the love and protection she gave her father. Here she seemed free to laugh and dodge tea cups and strangely enough he loved watching her do it. 

Suddenly John became aware that someone was speaking to him. Snapping himself out of his thoughts he turned his attention to the Hatter. “I do apologize, what was it you said?”

The Hatter gave a high pitched laugh, “What is London like? Amelia said in her dreams it is rather drab and grey?”

“I suppose that depends on the part. There are a great many cloudy days in England, and London is a city built of stone and metal. Many people, my sister included, consider London to be the most interesting place in the world. I certainly do not understand the draw, it is quite the social city.”

“Could they not paint it? To give it color?” The Hatter asked. 

John only shrugged, “I suppose people like it the way it is.”

“How unusual,” Amelia muttered looking down at her tea and shaking her head. Then suddenly looking at John, “Is your ankle feeling better yet?”

“Yes, it is thank you. Should we be on our way soon? Your father discouraged the woods after dark.”

“For travelers, the Hatter and I are accustomed to the woods. But I do believe you are right. Hatter, may I ask a favor of you?”

“Ooo! Yes indeed!” He said excitedly. 

“Would you help me escort Mr. Thornton to the White Queen? We must be careful that he is not seen by many. He looks far too much like the late king. The Queen will want his head.”

“The Queen wants everyone’s head dearest, although it is good to know it is not just me that thinks he looks like the King. When he first arrived I thought the actual king came to join me for tea! Though I daresay upon closer look he is far too young for such things.”

“Splendid. When should we be on our way?” Amelia asked. 

The Hatter contemplated for a few moments. “Why, I think now would be a most splendid time.” Before jumping up and walking over the table to leave, Amelia and John following behind him. 

“What do we have here?” A voice said from someplace above them. John stopped and frantically looked about for the owner of the voice. 

“Chess stop scaring him,” Amelia scolded, though John could hear a hint of amusement in her voice. 

Oh, very well then,” Chess sighed revealing himself slowly. John nearly fainted at the sight of a talking cat with large eyes and a very wide grin floating in mid air slowly revealing himself. If it had not been for Amelia’s steadying hand on his shoulder and attempt at hiding her giggle at his reaction John was sure he would have fainted. 

“Mr. Thornton, this is another dear friend of mine, the Cheshire Cat, we always call him Chess. Chess this is Mr. Thornton.” Amelia made the introductions.

Chess floated towards John upside down flipping over at the last moment and extending his paw for a hand shake, “How do you do Mr. Thornton?”

John slowly reached out to shake the cat’s hand or rather paw. His head was screaming and spinning this day was even stranger than the last. Such strange people she associated herself with. They seemed kind enough but certainly were not the respectable sort such as her father, Doctor Paddington. And now he’s complimenting the respectability of a frog! John suddenly remembered what Amelia had said the previous day, ‘We’re all mad here’. Well no wonder everyone was mad with such nonsense floating about at every corner! John was starting to believe he was going mad!

The group stood staring at John as he turned all of this over in his mind staring at Chess and still absentmindedly shaking his paw still without responding to the cat’s greeting. Once John had processed what was before him at least three times to confirm this was in fact not a dream he replied in a most quite voice, “W-we-well, thank you.”

The Hatter leaned over to Amelia and whispered, “Rather odd this one isn’t he?”

“Yes, indeed, very odd.” Amelia agreed.


End file.
